Geo-specific Encryption Through Implicitly Authenticated Location for 5G Wireless Systems

Abstract

We propose a protocol for geo-specific encryption, which enables a user to encrypt and send a message over a wireless system, such that it can be decrypted only once the receiver has reached a specific location. In our protocol, encryption can be performed by anyone, based only on the knowledge of the location where the message can be decrypted. The receiver's location is established and implicitly authenticated by a location verification system (LVS) based on the physical properties of the wireless medium, exploiting in particular the shadowing phenomenon. The resulting solution, denoted LVS-based geo-specific encryption (LVSGE), combining cryptographic techniques and physical-layer features, represents a new approach to geo-specific encryption.